Crazy Fools
by nikki.anjo
Summary: After their romantic encounter in the woods, Phillip watches Aurora run off. But what if, instead of watching her disappear, he ran after her?
1. Chapter 1

**A/N: **Ta-daaa! Did you miss me? No? Well, that's okay. This little one-shot has been laying dead in my scraps for MONTHS, but when I read some reviews on "Black Mirror" asking for more Aurora/Phillip stuff, I thought... heck, why not? I'm sick, I'm tied to bed... might as well, right?

This is a small "what if" one-short that basically answers a question I've always asked myself since I was a kid: "Er, why doesn't Phillip just follow Aurora into the woods after he runs away? We want more fluffiness!" Right? Right. SO! Here's the result. It turned out quite differently from what I had first imagined, but one can't control the imagination...

It hasn't been beta-ed, so once again you must rely on my spell check :P The one-shot has also been divided into two chapters, to make it easier to read.

Hope you enjoy!

* * *

**Crazy Fools**

by Nikki Anjo

_Sleeping Beauty_ © Disney

"You hear that, Samson?" Prince Phillip tugged his horse's reins and looked back in search of the singing voice that had just echoed throughout the woods. "Beautiful…"

The horse did not share the prince's enthusiasm, letting out a groan before it began trotting again. Phillip pulled the reins harder, bringing the horse to a complete stop. They glanced at each other before Phillip lifted himself off Samson's back, his feet pressing against the stirrups. "What is it?" he wondered out loud.

Samson rolled his eyes, accustomed to the Prince's curiosity and constant urge to chase after things no one would ever remember to chase after. The horse prepared to continue trotting in a straight line when suddenly Phillip pulled the reins and forced the horse's change of direction. "Come on, lets find out!" he decided.

Samson protested by shaking his head and pulling the other way, huffing and puffing.

"Aw, come on," Phillip pleaded, pulling the horse's reins tighter. When Samson came to a stop, the prince leaned forward teasingly, patting the horse's neck with his hand. "For an extra bucket of oats?" he offered.

Samson's eyes widened at the sound of such magical words. He slowly turned his head towards Phillip, trying hard to feign disinterest but failing miserably.

Phillip tipped his red hat slightly upward, smiling like a merchant trying to sell a piece of jewelry. "And a few… carrots?" He said the last word with a convincing nod.

Samson nodded happily, eager to close the deal.

"Hop, boy!" Phillip cried as Samson reared on his hind legs and galloped in whichever direction the prince led him. Between trees and bushes they galloped fast and curiously, the wind offering little to no resistance as they headed their way. When at last the sound echoed again, Phillip ordered the horse to stop and together they tried to discover the source of such a beautiful voice. Determined he had found the right way, Samson led Phillip into the shadows, galloping over stones and flower beds and ducking beneath tree branches. Seeing a small creek in their way, Samson prepared for a long jump, momentarily forgetting about the man that was riding him… As he leapt through the air and reached the other side, he suddenly felt a lot lighter and coincidentally heard the trailing sound of a cry. "Whoa!"

Seconds later… _splash_.

Samson looked around, trying to get a hold of the situation. As his gaze strolled down to the creek, he found Phillip sitting in it, one leg over a small rock and his hat tilted over his face. The prince was completely soaked and did not at all look that impressed. Samson approached him cautiously, then hesitantly removed the hat with his teeth. Phillip glared at his horse for a few seconds then splashed water in its face. Leaning forward with his elbows on his knees, Phillip spoke slowly and clearly, like a father reprimanding a small child. "_No_ carrots."

After hopping out of the creek and getting the excess water out of his hair, Phillip started by taking off his cape and hanging it on the tree branch. He took his hat from Samson with another glare and tossed it aside the cape. Then he rang the water out of his clothes, taking his time to make sure most of the water came out. At last, a few minutes later, he sat on the broken log and began taking off his boots, seemingly lost in thoughts. Despite all, his mind still wandered away to the voice he had heard in the woods. "You know, Samson… there was something strange about that voice. Too beautiful to be real…"

Samson stood in the middle of the creek and ripped some leaves off a branch with his teeth, paying no attention to Phillip's ranting.

"Maybe it was a mysterious being… a wood sprite!" he guessed. As Phillip folded his arms over his chest and leaned against the tree trunk, he looked at Samson absentmindedly, his mind far away, thinking about the voice he had not yet discovered. Suddenly, the horse neighed in panic and tried to point somewhere with his muzzle. Startled by this reaction, Phillip quickly turned to see what was going on. All he caught was a glimpse of his red cape and hat, flying across the woods at rapid speed (and were those two rabbits in his boots?). Phillip almost fell off the log and back into the creek again, stunned by the situation. "Hey! Stop!" he ordered, but to no avail.

A few seconds needed to recompose himself were enough to lose sight of the creatures and his belongings. Phillip snapped his fingers and looked down at the socks on his feet. "Just my luck," he groaned. "All I wanted was to find that beautiful voice, and somehow I ended up wet and stripped of my belongings."

Samson nickered, amused by the situation his friend now found himself in.

"How ever are we going to find them?" Phillip asked out loud, putting his hands on his hips and scanning his surroundings. As he finished speaking, the mysterious voice echoed again. Phillip looked up in alert and signaled for Samson to be quiet. The horse swallowed the leaves it had been chewing and opened its eyes wide. "Did you hear that?" Phillip whispered. "Come on, we must be close!" He took the horse by the reeds and quietly walked down the path, his eyes and ears attentive to every sound.

"_I know you, I've walked with you once upon a dream… I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam…"_

They were drawing closer now. Phillip felt a tingle in his skin as the grass tickled his feet, realizing that the voice he was hearing had not belonged to a mysterious being or wood sprite, but rather to a fairly young girl. What did she look like? Where did she come from? How come Phillip had not encountered her before? Such questions troubled his mind as he approached a large bush which he decided to use as his fortress. As his fingers touched the leaves, he looked back at Samson and beckoned for the horse to come closer.

"_Yet I know it's true, that visions are seldom what they seem… But if I know you, I know what you'll do, you'll love me at once, the way you did once upon a dream…"_

With his heart pounding loud and fast, Phillip pushed down the leaves to discover for once and for all to whom the lovely voice belonged to. To his dismay (and relief!), he found a beautiful young girl dancing across the lawn, her feet bare and her peasant dress reaching slightly below her knee. He looked at Samson and grinned, pleased with their finding. Then he looked back at the girl and watched her in silence. Her beautiful golden curls bounced as she danced and flew as she twirled. She danced with what looked like a ghost in a red cape and a red hat, which Phillip soon identified to be his. Amused, he watched as the woodland creatures impersonated what he believed to be her prince charming, though very soon _he_ urged to be the one dancing with his newly found muse. Below two rabbits played around with his boots, trying to keep up with the maiden's graceful dance moves.

"_La da, la da, la da da da, da-dum, da-dum, da-dum… __But if I know you, I know what you'll do…"_

Led by his impulsiveness, Phillip leaped over the bushes and swiftly made his way to the girl. Just as she turned her back to him – not having noticed him before – Phillip gripped onto his cloak and pulled the owl out of his way. At that moment, the girl came absentmindedly twirling towards him, completely lost in her beautiful song.

"_You'll love me at once…"_

Phillip stood behind her and held her hands. _"The way you did once upon a dream…"_ he sang, his deep voice contrasting with her soft and graceful one. The girl came to a halt, her eyes widened with panic. Her head turned in search of her woodland friends. She found them watching her beside a tree with a hopeless yet amused look on their faces. It was a while before realization hit her, and she finally turned around to see who had replaced her imaginary partner. Gasping when she saw Phillip, she quickly tried to pull away from him.

"I'm awfully sorry," he quickly apologized, holding her hand gently and looking at her tenderly. "I didn't mean to frighten you!"

The girl looked away from him, avoiding his gaze at any cost as she tried to pull her hand away from his. She succeeded for a split second, but he quickly caught her again and stopped her from running away. "Oh, it wasn't that," she replied shyly, her gaze turning towards the floor as she hid her free hand behind her back. She shyly looked up at him. "It's just that you're a…" Her words faltered her, but her concerned expression made clear what she was about to say. As Phillip smiled back at her, her cheeks became flushed and she forcedly slipped her hand out of his. "A…" She turned around and tried to run.

"A stranger?" Phillip suggested light-heartedly, catching her once again and gently holding her hand.

The girl timidly nodded her head. "Hmm-hmm."

Phillip delicately pulled her closer to him. "But don't you remember? We've met before!" he told her with a comforting smile.

The girl, despite her discomfort, seemed to question his words. "We… we have?" she asked him hesitantly, leaning back as he leaned forward.

"Of course!" Phillip replied cheerfully. He pulled her towards him until their faces were only inches apart. "You said so yourself…" At last he let go of her hand and pulled back, confident that she would not try to run away again. "Once upon a dream."

Recognizing her own words, the girl shyly looked away as she rubbed her hand on her dress. As he spoke, she cautiously moved away, though part of her seemed very reluctant to do so.

Phillip began to sing the familiar tune, taking slow steps towards the girl. "_I know you, I've walked with you once upon a dream_…" As he sang, the girl stopped in her steps and shyly looked back at him. She turned away again then walked towards a huge tree trunk and slowly hid behind it. She could hear his voice drawing nearer, and cautiously tried to peek from behind the tree to see if he was coming towards her.

Phillip followed the girl with a small smile, relieved to see she hadn't run away and longing to be closer to her again. He came to the tree and saw her peeking in the opposite direction. He felt the urge to embrace her right there and then, but fought against it. Instead he delicately touched her hand and continued to sing. "_I know you, the gleam in your eyes is so familiar a gleam_." The girl pulled back her hand abruptly, and held it against her chest. Although his gaze was tender and loving and his voice so very comforting, she felt obliged to move away and quickly slipped towards a rock. He followed her more quickly this time, and smoothly walked around her so that he could have another chance to look her in the eyes.

This time, as he drew nearer, she looked back at him, but with the same tenderness and lovingness. With a smile he took her hand again and walked away from the rock and towards a clearing hidden by the shadows of the tall pine trees and guarded by a small stream. As he looked her in the eyes, he felt a sudden urge to sweep her off her feet and dance with her away to a forgotten place where only sweet dreams could come true. He knew it would have been appropriate to invite her to dance, but his impulsive desire was too strong to resist. Phillip took a few steps back and pulled the girl along with him, sweeping her into a graceful waltz. She laughed in return – oh, what a sweet and innocent laugh – and did not show even the smallest intention of running away. It was as if they could both hear the sweet melody inside their heads as their feet swayed gracefully across the fresh clean grass.

As Phillip stepped back and lifted his arm to spin the girl around, his heart stopped as the streaks of sunshine reflected on her golden locks and her peasant dress lifted slightly above her knees. She grinned, reminding him of a sweet innocent child who looked upon a colorful rainbow for the first time. He could do nothing but smile back, wondering to himself if it would seem to rude if he just took her in his arms at that very moment and stole a kiss. As if suddenly his mind had taken control over his actions, he pulled her closer and leaned forward. However, she pulled back playfully, though her cheeks blushed so intensely that they reminded him of two juicy strawberries.

He took her hand and with a laugh ran backwards until they were no longer under the protection of the pine trees, vulnerable beneath the hot blazing sun. With his arm stretched out and his hand gripping tightly onto the girl's so that she would not let go, he twirled her around until at last he pulled her towards him again. Their faces were now only inches apart. Phillip felt his insides cringe with desire as the sound of her deep breaths (signs of tiredness from the dancing and the excitement) penetrated into his ears. Again he felt the need to kiss her, and this time she did not pull away so soon. In fact, she lingered closer to him now, her gaze occasionally slipping onto his lips and her lips curling into a small smile. As he leaned forward, accepting her gaze as an open invitation, she shyly turned away and closed her eyes. However, unlike the beginning of their encounter, she did not seem the least bit inclined to run away. Moreover, she slowly led him towards a big tree right at the end of a cliff, almost as if she was inviting him into her refuge. Phillip gazed down at the girl, his mind so lost in so many thoughts that he simply allowed himself to be towed away by her until they both leaned against the tree branch and stared into the distance.

Alas, far in the horizon, shining like a light at the end of a tunnel, lay King Stefan's castle. It felt like someone had just plunged a dagger into Phillip's heart, for Stefan's castle was nothing but a painful reminder of a responsibility which had been so unfairly bestowed upon him. How cruel fate had been to him… or, alas, how generous, for only fate would have led Phillip to the mysterious owner of his heart, precisely on the day that he was to meet his bride. Was it perhaps a sign from God Himself?

The prince had little time to dwell on such thoughts, for in a moment he felt the girl's head rest comfortingly on his shoulder. He slowly rest his head on hers, his arm slipping around her waist as she slipped her hand around his. Like two forbidden lovers they stared into the distance, most likely neither aware that the castle they gazed at before them was to become a lot more than a simple symbol of royalty.

The silence, as lovely as it was, only made Phillip want to know more about the mysterious girl who had just conquered his heart. "Who are you?" he asked softly. "What is your name?"

At first the girl did not reply, and when Phillip looked down at her he noticed that her eyes were closed and she was smiling dreamily. He soon regretted his own words, for they seemed to have awakened her from a sweet dream. "Hm?" She lifted her head off his shoulder and looked around, slowly turning her body around to face him. "Oh, my name. It's…" The girl smiled shyly, as if no one had ever asked her such an obvious question. However, as she looked into his eyes, something in her stirred. She hesitated for a moment. "Why, it's…"

Phillip smiled comfortingly, urging her to continue. However, the girl's eyes widened and her once sweet gaze had now transformed itself into a pale, worried look. "Oh, no, I… I can't!" she said hurriedly, shaking her head. Before he had time to react, she pulled away from him and ducked under the great tree branch which they had been leaning against. "Good bye!" she called out to him, moving away in such a rush that Phillip feared that he had said or done something to displease her.

"But when will I see you again?" he called back to her worriedly.

She waved her hands in the air and shook her head as if his question had been a profane blasphemy. "Oh, never! Never!" She lifted her skirts and scampered away.

Phillip's heart fell as he hopelessly began to run after her. "_Never_?"

The girl leaped over a small stream then suddenly stopped in her steps. She seemed to give his persistence some thought, and for a second looked back at him hopefully. "Well, maybe _some_day," she said before quickly turning away again.

Phillip felt a tinge of hope again as he stopped by the stream. The woodland creatures – which Phillip had seen the girl dancing with earlier – surpassed him at this moment and accompanied the girl in her chase. Samson, who had been on the other side of the stream, perked up when the girl ran past him and turned his head to see Phillip desperately trying to chase her. "When? Tomorrow?" the prince cried, trying hard not to lose sight of the girl.

"Oh, no!" the girl cried back, grabbing her belongings (a scarf and a basket) which she had left beneath a tree. "This evening!"

Phillip continued to chase her, but started losing speed as he saw the girl head into the woods, following a path he did not recognize. "Where?" he called out, reaching out his arm.

The girl looked back for a moment, though she did not slow down. "At the cottage, in the glen," she answered before hurrying down a small hill.

Samson joined Phillip at this point, more bewildered by all the woodland creatures than the girl herself. He only really looked at the prince when he heard his voice. "Who _was_ that girl? Why did she not tell me her name?" Phillip wondered out loud. He tugged Samson by the reeds. "This evening, we shall gallop to the cottage in the glen!" he decided eagerly. "It might take us long to find it, and therefore we must leave early! I… I must be with her again again," he added blissfully, gazing at the tree where they had once embraced each other.

Samson nudged Phillip's arm, trying to snap the prince out of his gaze. More importantly, it troubled the horse that Phillip had not yet realized one very important detail…

"What? What is it?" Phillip asked with a playful laugh, pushing the horse's nose away. Samson neighed, even though he knew his owner would not understand him. Phillip looked at him in confusion at first, but a few seconds later snapped his fingers and gasped. "This evening! God dammit, it's the royal celebration!" he cursed, running his fingers through his hair.

Samson nodded. There was also the slight detail that Phillip was about to meet his bride, Princess Aurora, whom he had been betrothed to for sixteen years (not that it mattered to Samson, as a horse, but Phillip's endless rants and complaints about his betrothal had become hard to ignore at some point). Samson sighed, disappointed for the prince, but happy at the prospect of returning to the castle and feasting upon his well-deserved buckets of oats… and carrots.

However, he was wrong. When he turned his head in search of Phillip, the prince was… gone.


	2. Chapter 2

Panting breathlessly, Briar Rose slid down another hill and tried hard to keep her balance. Under normal circumstances she would have taken the longer path without hills or bushes and streams, but her mind had urged her to take the shortcut.

As she reached another stream, she stopped in her steps and realized that she had been completely wrong. With all these obstacles in her way, she was surely to take longer to reach the cottage. The woodland creatures had followed her faithfully, and while the rabbits bounced at her feet, the birds and the owl flew to the other side of the stream and anxiously waited for the girl to join them. Rose, however, was reluctant to leap over the stream. She knew it would not take much effort, nor would she need wet her feet. Her reluctance was due to something far more odd and unnerving.

Rose looked back and tried to ease her breathing. The stranger… he had not followed her. This was supposed to relieve her, but she couldn't help but feel slightly disappointed. Would she ever see him again? Was that the closest she'd ever be to an encounter with another human being?

The birds chirped now, as if trying to bring Rose back to reality and pleading her to leap over the stream. She sighed inwardly and shook her head. "They never would have forgiven me if I told him who I was," she confessed to the animals.

The owl now sat on a tree branch and looked down at the peasant girl. "_Who_!"

"Why, Aunt Flora, and Fauna, and Merryweather!" Rose replied promptly. "For sixteen years they never let me meet _any_one, even when I begged them to take me to the village with them. I don't understand why," she said sadly. "They always told me that people were cruel and mean… and that they'd only try to hurt me! But he…" She sighed as she swayed her basket in the air. "He was so kind."

The owl's big yellow eyes widened like two beacons in the dark. "_Who, who_!"

"That handsome stranger, of course!" Rose replied, nodding her head once. "Did you not notice the way he took me in his arms and danced with me by the stream?" Rose embraced herself and began dancing around again, pretending she was dancing with the man. Her feet swept gracefully across the grass as her blonde locks bounced on her shoulders. She hummed a tune while she danced and closed her eyes, allowing herself to relive the moment. All of a sudden, she heard a small splash, and noticed that her foot felt cold. When she looked down, she saw that she had accidentally stepped into the stream. The cold water now sent a shiver up to her spine, and she realized that this was Nature's way of telling her to stop daydreaming and sink back into reality.

Rose sighed sadly because she slipped her other foot into the water and lifted her skirt slightly above her knees. "Perhaps it's best if I never see him again," she said as she gazed at her disappointed reflection in the water. "He…he could have tried to hurt me!" She looked up at the owl. "Did you see the dagger he wore around his waist?"

The owl nodded worriedly.

In the meantime, one of the rabbits hopped closer to the stream and looked down at Rose's feet. Feeling adventurous, it decided to slip one paw into the water… but quickly pulled it out again and twitched its nose when it realized how cold the water was. The birds chirped mockingly as they flew around the rabbit, playing with its ears.

Rose shook her head and smiled softly. "Oh, you poor thing," she said compassionately, playing with her feet in the water. "Come on now, it's not that cold!"

The rabbit shook its head and leaped backwards, away from the stream. In the meantime a couple of squirrels had hopped onto a boulder and were watching Rose as she moved back and forth in the water, swaying her skirt and tilting her head thoughtfully. Her smile soon turned into a small frown again, and her frown turned into a reluctant sigh. She stepped out of the water and sat on the boulder next to the squirrels. One of them crawled up Rose's arm and sat on her shoulder.

"Do you think he will go to the cottage this evening?" she asked the squirrel as she dipped her toes into the water and watched the streamlines form small rings that propagated towards the shore. The squirrel shrugged before climbing to the top of her head and playing with her hair. Rose reacted obliviously as she moved her toes around in the water. "My mind is so confused. What if he's not like the strangers Aunt Flora told me about? What if…" Rose bit her lip. "What if he's the one I've been dreaming of?" She looked around at the animals for a reaction, but they just stared at her with blank faces. Rose closed her eyes with a sad sigh and let her head fall down. She felt the squirrel leap off her shoulder but paid no attention to it. She noticed that even the birds had stopped chirping, but was too upset to see where they had gone too. Rose even heard the sound of rattling bushes followed by breaking twigs, but merely assumed that the rabbits had run off to their habitats.

When she opened her eyes a few seconds later and gazed at her reflection in the water, she almost jumped back with fright. Right there, staring back at her, was not only her reflection… but the reflection of the handsome stranger! Rose still paused for a moment and blinked her eyes to make sure she wasn't dreaming. When she realized that the reflection hadn't disappeared, she gasped and quickly pulled her feet out of the water. The birds began to tweet again, as if they sensed the girl's distress and were worried for her. The man, who had been kneeling down by the stream gazing at her reflection, jumped to his feet and reached out his hand. "Please," he pleaded. "I will not harm you."

Despite his words, Rose's instinct told her to run. Her fear had been reinstated by his sudden reappearance and the echoes of her aunts' warnings had grown louder than before. She picked up her basket and started running down the first path she could find, even though she wasn't quite sure where it would lead. However, standing – or rather, hanging – in her way was the handsome stranger with the biggest grin on his face. He hung from a tree branch, swaying his body back and forward in order to block her path. "Do not tell me you are about to run away again," he teased.

Rose shook her head and looked away. "Oh, but I can't… I can't speak to you! My aunts told me that I'm not allowed to speak to str-"

"But I'm not a stranger!" the man cut in jovially. He let go of the tree branch and landed swiftly in front of Rose. "I'd say we are very well acquainted by now. Unless…" He rubbed his chin thoughtfully as he studied her. "Unless you dance with strangers in the woods more often."

Rose tucked her hair behind her ear shyly and lowered her head, trying to hide her smile. "No, I just…" She glanced up at him. "We've barely just met."

The man laughed. "But I've been through so much to get to you!"

Rose tilted her head and raised her eyebrow skeptically.

"Truly, I have!" the man gasped. He held his hands behind his back and started walking around Rose, never taking his eyes off of her. "Now, lets see… I've fallen into the river, had my boot stolen by some woodland creatures, had my heart taken away with a single glance and…" He stepped back and pointed at his feet. "You've made me chase you across the woods in my socks!"

Rose looked down at his feet to verify his claim then covered her mouth and stifled a giggle. He did look utterly pathetic in his socks, but Rose found it equally charming in a way. She had noticed it before but didn't feel like it was an appropriate question to ask someone who she had just met. However, Rose was half skeptic when he revealed that the animals had stolen his boot. What sort of man would let his boot get stolen by rabbits and squirrels?

Phillip noticed the change in the girl's expression. She had gone from almost mocking him to shaking her head in disbelief. He stood before her again and opened his arms. "What is it? Do you not believe me?"

Rose smiled coyly. "Oh, I believe you… mostly." She glanced at her woodland friends and found them staring at the stranger with the same excitement she felt in her heart. There was something about him that made her skin tingle and her heart lift. She felt those butterflies in her stomach again… the ones she used to feel with Fauna read her a fairytale story, or whenever she talked to her animal friends about her prince charming. However, at some point she was unable to tell if the butterflies were urging her to look him in the eyes… or warning there that she ought to run back home before her aunts came out looking for her. "I… I must go," she told the man hesitantly.

Phillip frowned in disappointment. "Go? Go where?" He plucked a flower from a nearby bush and presented to her with a smile. "What place could possibly be better than right here with me?"

Rose glanced at the flower before turning her head away and walking right past the man. She bit her lip as she did, making her best effort to conceal her feelings. She could not allow herself to foolishly fall for his tricks again. Her aunts had brought her up to be a mature, careful young woman. She was obviously being put to the test… and failing miserably. The man, on the other hand, did not provide any help. On the contrary, he walked and talked like the devil himself, pulling Rose into a deep temptation.

"I don't think you understand what I'm saying," Phillip urged as he hastened his pace and caught up to her. He grabbed her by the arm and pulled her around. Once they were face to face again, he smiled with relief and tried to grasp the air before it escaped his lungs. "I believe fate has brought us together," he revealed. "Do you not feel it in your heart too?"

Rose shook her head, even though she felt tempted to tell the man she felt something familiar about him too. "I have to get back…" She pushed herself away from him.

"I think we are meant to love one another!" Phillip cried, the despair now transparent in his voice. He raced past the girl and leaped onto a couple of boulders. "Please, come with me!" He motioned to the horizon. "I'll take you away from here and make you the happiest woman in the world!"

Rose stopped in her steps for a moment and looked back at the man. "But… you hardly even know me," she uttered.

Phillip snapped his fingers. "You're wrong! I know you… I've known you all my _life_!" he laughed. He hopped from one boulder to the next. "I've been dreaming about you ever since my heart discovered its ability to dream! I could never be mistaken – it _has_ to be you! Why else would fate lead me to you on such a torturous day?" He hopped onto the ground again and took the girl's hands in his. "Please… let me love you."

Rose pulled her hand away. "My aunts would never allow it," she muttered quietly, sadness hanging in her voice. "And I _must_ return, for they are expecting me back soon."

"I will go to the cottage in the glen tonight," Phillip reminded her, determined to not let her go. "And after I have met your aunts, will you agree to marry me?"

Rose's eyes widened. Even the owl was in a state of shock. The birds tweeted amongst themselves as the rabbits stretched their ears to listen more carefully. Rose opened her mouth to speak, but the words had difficulty coming out. "M… _marry_ you?"

Phillip nodded, showing no signs of regret or hesitance. "Mmhm." He noticed the girl's uneasiness. "We could… court first, if it pleases you," he added carefully. "Though I do not see the point of it, considering I have already decided that I want to spend the rest of my life with you." He finally let go of her hand and picked a berry out of her basket. "If it were up to me, we could get married tomorrow." _After I find a way to pull myself out of that silly betrothal_, he added mentally. Phillip popped the berry into his mouth and smiled, waiting for the girl's response.

Rose stuttered. "I… I…"

Phillip twirled his hand in the air, urging her to finish her sentence. "You… agree to be my wife?"

"No!" Rose cried in bewilderment. "I mean, I don't know! I don't… oh!" She raised her hands to her head and leaned her back against the tree.

Phillip frowned in confusion. "What more must I do to prove that I love you?" he asked. "Tell me! I'll do anything!" He took a few steps backwards as he opened his arms. "Shall I steal the moon for you? Write you a song?" He suddenly felt his foot step on something hard. _Ouch_. Phillip looked down to see he had just stepped on a stick. He grabbed it and waved it swiftly in the air as if it were a sword. "I know! I will kill a dragon for you!"

Rose let down her guard to study the man, though her heart and mind were still overwhelmed by his request. She smiled at his suggestions, and especially at the enthusiasm he had put into his last one. "There are no such things as dragons," she told him with a small amused smile.

Phillip gasped. "No such things as dra-" He shook his head and blinked. "You cannot be serious!" He continued to squish and swirl his imaginary sword in the air. "Has no one ever read to you stories of daring sword fights, mystical dragons and a prince in disguise?"

"Yes, but… those are all fairytales," Rose argued, taking the conversation very seriously. Fauna had read her many fairytales as a child, but her aunts had always drummed into her head the fact that such stories never truly existed, and magic was just something that lived in one's imaginations. She bit her tongue before she added. "There is no such thing as magic."

Phillip dropped his stick in shock. "No _magic_?"

He was surprised to hear this, especially from a young woman who minutes ago had been singing about walking with people 'once upon a dream'. He, for one, couldn't deny the power of magic even if he wanted to. He was but a five year old when he attended Princess Aurora's christening and for the first time came face-to-face with the evil Maleficent. Although he had been too young to understand it, he had witnessed the curse, the magic, the despair… and ever since lived under the suffocating protection of his father and Aurora's parents, who often feared that Phillip would share the same fate as Aurora if they were not careful. Needless to say, his father would ground him for eternity if he knew he was out by himself in the woods right now, following the young maiden who he had determined to marry. He hadn't even given that last part much thought… He had only met Aurora when she was but a baby, and even then she had been introduced to him as his 'future bride'. Imagining himself married to a drooling baby was not impressive as his father, Hubert, made it out to be. Phillip grew up into a fine young man who ended up accepting his betrothal as part of his duty… but until now it had never occurred to him that he too deserved the chance to fall in love! He realized now that Aurora also deserved a chance to experience the powerful magic of true love. Surely she would understand when he cancelled the betrothal. Surely they _all_ would! Why, they'd all meet his wonderful bride-to-be, see how happy he was, and realize that Aurora deserved the same happiness.

Of course, his brilliant plan only seemed to have one small flaw. He was yet to convince the peasant girl to marry him.

Phillip stretched his arm against the tree and towered over the girl with a smile. "You mean to tell me you don't believe in magic?"

Rose tilted her head shyly. "How could I believe in something that doesn't exist?"

"And how do you know it doesn't exist?"

Rose lifted her shoulders. "Well… I've never _seen_ magic…"

"Then tell me," Phillip leaned in closer. "Do you believe in love?"

Rose bit her lip. "Love? Why, of course!" She eyed him thoughtfully, wondering what had led to such a spontaneous question.

Phillip smirked. "And do you… _see_ love?"

Rose giggled at his even sillier question. "Love is not something you can _see_," she argued. "It's… something you feel," she decided.

"I see…" Phillip slowly placed his hand on the girl's shoulder and leaned in even closer. "Then how about the powerful magic of love? Do you believe in that?"

Rose slipped away from his touch and ducked under his arm. Once she was free from his grasp, the woodland creatures hurried to her feet and looked up at the stranger expectantly. She bit her lip and smiled coyly. "Maybe… I believe that love is powerful enough to accomplish many things," she began, finding it a bit odd that she was having this conversation with a stranger rather than with her animal friends. "I believe it _transforms_ people," she continued, the eagerness growing in her voice as she took a few steps back from the man. "Everyone deserves to love and be loved."

"_Yes_!" Phillip cried with relief, falling to his knees. He opened his arms. "Then let me love you, oh sweet maiden." He held his hand against his chest. "Be the one who will love me in return!" He noticed that the girl had stopped in her steps and quickly jumped to his feet. He took a few large steps towards her and held her in his arms. "You are the one I've been searching for! The one I've walked with once upon a dream many times before. Let me hold you, let me kiss you, let me finish your duets!" he whispered eagerly.

Rose did not turn away this time. She lowered her head and glanced up at him shyly. "How do I know you speak the truth?"

Phillip smiled as he stroked the girl's cheek with his thumb. "Why else would I go to your cottage this evening and ask for your hand in marriage?" He gently ran his thumb over her lips. "And why else," he whispered, "would I still be standing here in my socks?"

Rose tried to laugh, but it sounded more like a happy sigh. "Because you're a crazy fool," she whispered back.

He smiled in return. "A crazy fool who believes in the powerful magic of love?"

Rose smiled as she leaned forward and closed her eyes. "Then I supposed," she breathed, "that that makes me a fool too."

Phillip closed his eyes and leaned forward, but before his lips could finally touch the lips of his beautiful muse, the loud vibrating sound of a crow's cry tore the skies. They both looked up in unison, startled by the sudden interruption.

"Odd," Phillip remarked in a whisper. "There aren't usually crows around here at this time of the year."

Rose heard the alarmed tweeting of the birds and realized that her time had come. She quickly pulled away from the man, picked up her basket, wrapped her scarf around her shoulders and looked for a familiar path.

"Wait! Where are you going?" Phillip cried.

"I must return home!" Rose called out as she started making her way through the bushes. "I am extremely late!" She paused for a moment and looked back at him. "But, oh! How my heart lifts at the thought of seeing you again this evening…" Before he could say anything else, she lifted the tip of her skirts and ran into the horizon. "And there's no need to fight a dragon!" she cried. "I'll marry you anyway!"

… And those were the last heat-lifting words Phillip heard her say. He leaned against the tree and sighed blissfully, absorbing the moment and trying to imagine that she was still there with him. Only when she was gone did he realize…

"But, wait! I don't even know your name!"

END

* * *

HA! Fooled ya! You thought I was going to make them kiss, right? ;) Pfft.


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